Discipleship requires that we learn to obey all that Jesus has commanded

• Resources—Randy Alcorn – The Treasure Principle

Matthew 28:18–20 (NIV) ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God’s word says more about finances than most any other subject –Warning

• Why does He speak more about this than other subjects
• It ruins us –our relationship with God and others when we get this wrong
• It leaves us unready for eternity

Matthew 6:19–24 (NIV) 6:19-24¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (mammon = the treasure a person trusts in) .

1 Timothy 6:4–10 (NIV)               Jeremiah 2:12–13 (NIV)              Psalm 20:7–8 (NIV)

We want you to be ready –prepped for the coming storm and return

• If we seek and trust in the wrong things, we lose everything in this life and the next
• The right kind of prepping – are you rooted in your relationship with Jesus
• The benefits of being rooted
• The reality of having to be rooted – drought
• Readiness

Jeremiah 17:5–8 (NIV) ⁵ This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. ⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. ⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. ⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

What does it mean to trust in man?

• To lean on your own understanding
• To trust in the wisdom of man –under the sun
• Trusting in the wrong things leaves you exhausted and at risk –men are fickle and always changing
• Theories that draw believers away only to find that they are soon outdated
• The impact

Proverbs 16:25 (NIV) ²⁵ There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death

Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NIV) ¹⁴ I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Colossians 2:8 (NIV) ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:19 (NIV)¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”;

What does it mean to trust in God?

Luke 6:46–49 (NIV) ⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Who delights in God’s law?   Psalm 1:1–6 (NIV) Are you secure—so that whether it’s a storm or His return –you are prepped?

Question: Are you putting the Lords commands into practice? Built on the rock

Question: Are you about your Fathers business with His resources?

Luke 12:35-49³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” ⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” ⁴² The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

In our country – there is no bigger place where Christians disobey than in the area of money and time – the resources that we have more than all the other places in the world.

Important truths –

1. What we do with the time and the finances we have been entrusted with reveals the answer to these questions
2. God’s Word tells us that we obey His commands – if we are His disciples
3. In order to fulfill His commands, we must say no to our sinful nature, the cultural standards and goals, and the devil who tempts us with these things–

For Small Group Discussion 

Opening Question: How did you make money as a kid growing up? Who or what helped you to be responsible with money?

Main Point: As believers, we are called to view and use our finances in a way that reflects Biblical obedience.

Main Scripture: Jeremiah 17:7-8

Head Questions

• What is the significance that the tree was planted by the water? What role does trust play in fighting against fear and anxiety?
• If roots provide sustenance for life, where are your roots planted and what are they connected to?

Heart Questions

• Describe a time when someone was financially generous to you. How did that impact you/your family?
• What makes you feel the most secure about the future?

Hands Questions

• What is a concept about money that you are being challenged to let go of or embrace?
• How might God want to use your faithfulness with finances to bless others? How are you practicing obedience with your time, energy, and resources?

Additional Scripture: Jeremiah 2:13, Psalms 1, Matthew 7:24-29, Proverbs 3:5-6

Tips and Resources:

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